Light sources having a high optical power density are key components for a multiplicity of applications. By way of example, laser diodes composed of a nitride-based compound semiconductor material system have a high market potential for projection systems, in particular those having luminous fluxes of between 1,000 and 10,000 lumens.
Therefore, components having high output power and compact housings are required for such applications. For cost reasons and in the context of standardization, housings of the so-called TO type series (TO: “transistor outline”) in the form of TO metal housings (“TO metal can”) are customary, for instance, in the form of the known structural sizes TO38, TO56 and TO90, wherein the TO metal housings are substantially manufactured from steel. However, currently available laser diodes in such standard TO designs, also designated hereinafter as “TO housings” for short, have been limited heretofore to optical powers of less than 3 watts, which is insufficient for many applications. To date, however, it has not yet been possible to achieve optical powers of more than 3 watts with such designs.
By way of example, the document C. Vierheilig, et al., Proc. SPIE, vol. 8277, 82770K, 2012, discloses blue-emitting nitride-based laser diodes in TO housings which, at room temperature in continuous wave operation, can emit light having a wavelength in the range of 440 nm to 460 nm with an output power of a maximum of 2.5 watts.